Few dental professionals are as passionate about continuing education as Dr. Fitzgerald. As part of her studies, she has attended a number of courses at the Kois Center. This is the only continuing education program in the country that also conducts and publishes independent research, meaning the courses are frequently updated based on new findings. When you visit a Kois Center dentist like Dr. Fitzgerald, youre seeing someone who has been trained in the most up-to-date techniques.
Regular dental offices do not offer the same breadth of orthodontic services that youll find at Sweet Smiles. In addition to braces and Invisalign, we offer a variety of orthodontic appliances designed to straighten teeth, correct uneven bites, and guide the development of the jaws in young children. Dr. Fitzgerald has been personally trained by an orthodontist and is a proud member of multiple orthodontic organizations; if youre looking for someone knowledgeable in the orthodontic field, you need look no further.
You can tell a lot about a dental office by looking at their dental office area. Weve given our waiting room and treatment areas a comfortable, modern feel so that patients of all ages can feel at ease and confident about the treatment that theyre about to receive. Click on the link below to take a brief virtual tour of our dental office and see what kind of accommodations we offer for yourself. We hope that you can see yourself choosing Sweet Smiles as your new dental home.
Dentistry and orthodontics are ultimately about helping others and giving back to the community. This philosophy isnt just confined to our dental office, though; were proud to be involved with a number of worthy causes. For example, currently we act as sponsors for the Leman Academy and Morana High School sports teams. If you know of any other organizations that could benefit from our help, please let us know we always appreciate the chance to do even more for Tucson.
For nearly 15 years so far, Dr. Fitzgerald has been devoted to helping patients feel more confident about their smiles while also boosting their overall health and sense of self-esteem. She loves getting to know each new arrival so well over time she wants everyone to feel like they are valued and a true member of the Sweet Family! If youre interested in learning more about her, just keep reading below.
While in undergraduate school doing pre-med training, Dr. Fitzgerald was part of a research team in Anesthesiology. The head anesthesiologist had her do all of the surgeries during this time because she had a very steady hand, as he told her. While he recommended neurosurgery as a possible future career, she eventually chose dentistry instead because she liked having the ability to do very detailed work while constantly learning new things. Many years later, she still feels very happy that she made that decision because she always looks forward to helping patients achieve their dental-related goals!
After attending both the University of Arizona and the University of California, Davis for her undergraduate degree, Dr. Fitzgerald achieved her dental doctorate at the Creighton School of Dentistry. From there, she opened a start-up dental office in Castle Rock, which grew so fast that she realized there was still a lot she needed to learn about the dental field! To that end, she sought out the best world-renowned teaching centers, attending advanced courses with Partners in Synergy, the Kois Center, Progressive Orthodontics, and the American Orthodontic Society.
In particular, the Kois Center allowed Dr. Fitzgerald to learn a great deal about planning and executing complex cases with not only a high success rate, but a good long-term prognosis. She also came to realize how essential facial harmony was for the stability of natural teeth and new restorations. This led her down the path of pursuing orthodontic training and eventually airway/breathing treatment. She has attended courses to treat sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing, both in children and adults.
A Tucson native, Dr. Fitzgerald came back to this area from Colorado to be closer to family, and shes thrilled to be serving the dental needs of her childhood community today. Her oldest son Trevor is attending college in Colorado at the moment, while her youngest son Gavin is in high school and really wants a career in baseball. As for personal hobbies, she spends her free time doing lots of outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, hiking, and gardening. Exercise in general is very important to her! Other interests include cooking, baking, painting, fixing things around the house, and learning new things in whatever ways she can.
Mariela originally hails from New Jersey, where she attended dental school. Today, her career in this field spans over five years. She loves her job because everyone in the dental office shares the same vision, which creates an amazing family environment where the entire team looks out for one another. At home, Mariela is happily married and is the proud mom of three rescue dogs. Away from work, you can typically find her reading a good book or playing with the pups!
Our dental office is conveniently located off of I-10 near the Quarry Pines Golf Club. Take exit 246 and turn onto N Cortaro Rd. Youll drive past the Continental Ranch Retail Center and take a right onto N Silverbell Rd. From there, just keep driving until you see our dental office, which will be located on the left, right past Coyote Trail Elementary School.
